We spend far too much time tinkering with OS X, and over the years we've picked up countless quick tips that make spending 12 or 14 hours a day in Apple's OS a bit more bearable.

Have a look through our favorite tricks for the latest Mac OS X release, version 10.6 (aka "Snow Leopard"). From handy keyboard shortcuts to under-the-radar features, all of these tricks are accessible without downloading any additional software.

Tap to Click

When you're clicking thousands of times a day, that extra couple of millimeters required to click the trackpad button adds up. Turn on "Tap to Click" by going to System Preferences > Trackpad on your Apple laptop.

Power-Up Your App Switching

Most people know that hitting Command-Tab cycles through your currently running apps, but a two finger swipe or spin of the scroll wheel lets you quickly select the app you want with just a flick of your finger. While Command-Tabbing to move between apps, you can quit or hide an app while the cursor is over it by tapping Q or H.

Define Words Within Apps

In most apps, you can highlight any word and hold down Command-Control-D to get a pop-up definition from OS X's built-in dictionary. (Some third-party apps don't support this feature.)

Stealthily Hide Apps

Boss coming over while you're finishing up a game of Angry Birds? Tap Command-H to instantly hide the app you're currently using. Command-option-H hides all apps running in the background. You can also tap Command-Option-M to minimize all the windows in an app to the Dock. The completely desperate can tap Command-Option-Shift-Q to immediately log out.

Find Out Where You've Saved A File

In document-based applications like TextEdit and Preview, command-clicking (or right-clicking) the icon at the top of the window reveals exactly where the file is saved. It's handy for when you're not sure where you've saved something and don't want to search via Spotlight.

Dig Deep

If you're buried deep in your photo archives and need to quickly move back out, Command-up (or Command-[) on they directional keypad will pull you back a directory. Similarly, tapping Command-Down (Command-]) takes you deeper into the system.

Pull Up Your App Folder

Command-Option-A, tapped from anywhere in the Finder, whisks you to the Applications folder. Similarly, Command-Option-D opens up a new Finder window showing off your Desktop.

Open Files From The Dialogue Box

When you're in the open dialogue box in most apps, you sometimes want to actually interact with the file back in the finder. Usually, this involves hiding all the windows, navigating to the correct folder in the Finder, and generally too much clicking. Instead, while in the Open dialogue, just hit Command-R, and a Finder window will open with that file selected.

TRACKBACK ADDRESS :

A new patent application published by the US Patent and Trademark Office gives us another thought-provoking insight into Apple’s thinking behind sci-fi keyboard designs. Granted, only a fraction of their patents see the light of day. Moreover, those that don’t often file is vague, too broad conceptual ideas. Nevertheless, this one’s interesting on several levels. Apple wants you to feel the keys before you hit them. The document entitled “Input Devices and Methods of Operation” proposes the use of air vents on keys (you read that right) coupled with a bunch of proximity sensors like the one inside your iPhone that prevents spray input from your face.

In some systems, feedback is provided before actual contact with the key expelling air from the input device proximate the key when user selection is imminent. In other examples, the tactile sensation results from automatic movement of the key in response to detected user selection of the key.

Another embodiment calls for a pneumatic system designed to pull the key away from you by “advancing the selected key in a direction of actuation in response to detecting user selection”. What do you make of this?

The described concept is pretty much useless in virtual keyboards where glass prevents air expelling. However, such a design could come in handy for really tiny keyboards where the individual keys are too close together, meaning one is unable to distinguish between the individual keys just by touching them with one’s finger. How small a keyboard, you ask? Really small – think iPhone small. Any suggestions? Meet us in comments. Apple credited this keyboard concept to engineers Aleksandar Pance, Michael Sinclair and Brett Bilbrey.
Source: www.patentlyapple.com & www.9to5mac.com

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Apple is the world’s most valuable brand in the post-recession world, says the latest 2011 Top 100 ranking of global brands by BrandZ, a Millward Brown subsidiary of advertising company WPP. The iPhone maker, which last year ranked third, knocked Google, the world’s most valuable brand in 2010. Apple emerged ahead other top brands from a variety of industries such as computers, automotive, telcos, banks and clothing, to name a few.
The organization estimated Apple’s brand value at north of $153 billion, which shouldn’t be confused with Apple’s market capitalization that currently stands at cool $324 billion. Google’s brand value dropped two percent to an estimated $111.5 billion, enough to rank second.Apple earned an 84 percent increase in brand value with successful iterations of existing products like the iPhone, creation of the tablet category with iPad, and anticipation of a broadened strategy making the brand a trifecta of cloud computing, software, and innovative, well-designed devices.

The BrandZ rankings were first published five years. Apple’s brand value in the BrandZ rankings increased 859 percent from just $16 billion in 2006, thanks to the successful business with iOS devices that helped Apple become the world’s most profitable handset maker and the biggest mobile devices company by revenue.
Facebook ($19.1 billion), Amazon ($37.6 billion) and the Chinese search engine Baidu ($22.6 billion) also stand out as year-over-year performers. It’s interesting that Amazon is now the leading retal brand, having beaten Walmart with a 37 percent rise in brand value. Dell fell off the list this year and Nokia lost 28 percent of its brand value, ending at the #81 slot with an estimated brand value of $10.7 billion. Car maker Toyota rebounded to the #1 rank in cars. Total value of the hundred brands on the BrandZ Top 100 list is an estimated $2.4 trillion.

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Are you wondering how fast the iPad 2 is compared to an iPad in real world tests?

This video of side-by-side speed tests shows typical iPad usage, things like booting, launching various apps, and shutting down. You’ll see the iPad 2 excels in most areas but lags, oddly, in shutting down. If you don’t want to watch the video, here are the raw numbers and the tests:

iPad 2 vs iPad Real World Speed Tests

Booting: 25.3 vs 28.6

Launching Infinity Blade: 10.6 vs 26

Launching Google Earth: 17 vs 20.3

Launch Garage Band: 3 vs 6

Launching Angry Birds: 8 vs 10.5

Shutting Down: 26 vs 12

Obviously this test is nonscientific and there’s nothing too groundbreaking here, but it’s interesting to watch anyway. Sure there are improvements in general speed and functionality, but I think we have yet to really see apps that really take advantage of the improved iPad 2 hardware specs.

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Apple has released iTunes 10.2.2 for Windows and Mac. You can download iTunes 10.2.2 for both the Windows and Mac OS from the link below. iTunes 10.2.2 comes with a number of stability enhancements, bug fixes and improved the overall performances.

iTunes 10.2.2 Chaneg-log

Addresses an issue where iTunes may become unresponsive when syncing an iPad.

Resolves an issue which may cause syncing photos with iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to take longer than necessary.

Fixes a problem where video previews on the iTunes Store may skip while playing.

Addresses other issues that improve stability and performance.

Download iTunes 10.2.2

You can downloadiTunes 10.2.2 for Mac and Windows OS from the link below:

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Just about every morning I call several Apple Stores and ask about their current inventory and availability of iPad 2 models. Up until this week, stores generally had nothing in stock by the time they opened, and the store reps continue to tell me they have lines in the mornings. This has eased up slightly for the Verizon iPad 2 models, but the GSM and WiFi versions continue to be extremely difficult to find.

If you’re like me and you didn’t bother to order an iPad 2 online (silly, it would have been delivered by now), you’re left checking stock at resellers and generally crossing your fingers as you hope to get lucky in the midst of countless others doing the exact same thing.

Enter the iPad 2 Inventory Scanner, which is bound to improve your chances. All you need to do is enter your zip code and the model you are looking for, and the utility will check all nearby Target stores for any inventory of the model you specified. Yes, you read that right, it only checks Target stores inventory, but it is still very useful and one of my friends used this tool to track down an elusive iPad 2 today.

The web app is based off the finder links that appeared on MacRumors forums some time ago, but the interface is much more user friendly for quick searches. So if you’re trying to track down an iPad 2, check this out.